Recycling Copy Machines

Copy Machines

Copy machines contain a number of different materials. Some of these materials are actually quite toxic, and one of the benefits of recycling copy machines is that these materials are prevented from being trucked to landfills. There are some very valuable materials in some copy machines, so recycling them can be a profitable business.

The Process

Copy machines are obviously complex devices, so the recycling process is complex, as well. The machines have to be disassembled first. This process is usually done by the same business that collects the copy machines from the offices that send them to recycling.

Taking down the machines involves separating all the different materials that make them up so that they can be sent to the appropriate facilities for recycling. These materials include plastics, chemicals, glass and even some precious metals. If these copy machines were sent to a landfill, these materials would have to be contained by the facility and the machines themselves would end up taking up space that could be used otherwise.

Copy machines are expensive to dispose of. Hauling them to the landfill takes a large vehicle and several people due to the weight of the machines. The materials contained in them are simply not safe for all landfills, so one has to include the cost to the environment that these materials would constitute. The plastics and other petroleum-based materials in copy machines are dangerous to the environment, but easily made into new products. This is why office machines such as copy machines, computer printers and more are being increasingly recycled.

Copy machines need to be recycled by a specialist company. You’ll probably have to arrange for a pickup time unless the copy machine you’re trying to recycle is compact enough to be hauled in a regular vehicle to the recycling center.